Cup heroes Eastleigh turfed out of the FA Trophy by National League rivals Gateshead

They were turfed out of non-League’s premier knockout competition 2-1 by National League rivals Gateshead in front of a paltry 453 crowd at the Silverlake Stadium.

The Spitfires led at half-time through James Constable before succumbing to only their third defeat under the 20-match tenure of manager Chris Todd.

Todd rang the changes, bringing Lee Cook, Michael Green, Jack Midson and fit-again centre-half Jamie Turley back into his starting line-up on a chilly January afternoon.

The game was preceded by a minute’s silence for Eastleigh’s former commercial manager and long-time friend of the club Pat Mallon. It was just a shame there were not more people there to pay their respects with many fans no doubt saving their pennies for Tuesday’s big FA Cup replay at Bolton.

After a quiet start, the Spitfires clicked into gear on six minutes and so nearly went ahead through top scorer James Constable.

Picked out by Andy Drury on the left, the combative No 9 held off the attentions of Heed skipper Ben Clark on the edge of the area and fizzed a pacy strike across the face of goal and just wide of the far post.

Drury then ballooned an effort well over following good work by Josh Payne, but Eastleigh soon had some serious defending to do with Joe Partington heading Rob Ramshaw’s deflected cross away from the goalline and then Gateshead’s Matty Pattison cutting inside from the right and powering a left-foot shot not too far wide of the far post.

Cook, returning to the Eastleigh starting 11 after a neck strain, looked a class act down the left and had a big say in them taking the lead with 19 minutes gone.

Having had a good strike deflected behind, he took the corner himself, delivering low to the feet of the predatory CONSTABLE who turned it in from five yards out – his 14th goal of the season.

Although never looking entirely secure at the back against a busy Gateshead side, the Spitfires played some glorious attacking football on a badly cut-up pitch which, nevertheless, was a great improvement on last week’s mudbath against Bolton.

Cook continued to shine, almost finding Midson’s head with a cross before collecting Constable’s knockdown and firing wide from distance.

But there was still plenty of defending for the Spitfires to do with Will Evans, once, and Turley, twice, clearing up in the messy aftermath of a corner.

Green then caused panic at the other end with a dangerous, low delivery into the box before Gateshead were awarded a penalty with just over half an hour gone.

With Eastleigh undone by Pattison’s clever ball forward, skipper Ben Strevens was booked for bringing down Bowman as he and Evans tried to clear the danger.

Bowman stepped up to take the kick, but after his heroics against Bolton last weekend, Eastleigh keeper Ross Flitney again proved a hard man to beat.

Diving to his right, he managed to keep out Bowman’s centrally placed effort with his legs and protect the Spitfires’ slender lead going into half-time.

Half time: Eastleigh 1 Gateshead 0

The Spitfires made a bright enough start to the second period but found themselves pegged back to 1-1 with five minutes gone.

After defending so diligently in the first half, they were undone by a cross from Gateshead’s new Middlesbrough loanee defender Andre Bennett, allowing Northern Irishman PADDY McLAUGHLIN a free header into the far corner.

With the atmosphere somewhat subdued inside the ground, Gateshead were seeing more and more of the ball and the spritely Bennett did well to reach Pattison’s long ball forward before it crossed the byline, but there was no one there to capitalise on his teasing cross.

Todd made his first substitution on 63 minutes, replacing Green with ex-Saints left-back Dan Harding, and that was quickly followed by another when Midson made way for flying winger Matty Fanimo.

But It was another substitute, Gatehead’s DANNY JOHNSON – on after 70 minutes for Pattison – who made a telling impact on the tie.

Within two minutes of coming on, he put the visitors ahead for the first time, latching onto Ryan Bowman’s pass and drilling the ball in off the foot of Flitney’s left-hand post.

That got Eastleigh riled – no one more so than Constable who, having had half a shout for a penalty turned down, had a long-range belter deflected out for a corner.

With time running out to rescue the tie, Todd played his last card with nine minutes remaining, withdrawing Payne and throwing on striker Ross Lafayette, who had scored their winner at Aldershot in the last round.

Gateshead, though, still looked the likeliest to score with Flitney doing well to tip over Jordan Cranston’s goalbound 20-yard free kick before getting behind a weak effort from the scorer Johnson.

With three minutes of stoppage time added, Eastleigh had one last-gasp chance to equalise when, after a strong run by Fanimo down the right, Partington’s effort ricocheted behind at the near post.

But Cook’s corner was volleyed to safety by Gateshead on an off-colour afternoon for the Spitfires who had also lost 2-1 at home to the Tynesiders in the league.

Full-time: Eastleigh 1 Gateshead 2

EASTLEIGH: Ross Flitney, Joe Partington, Michael Green (Dan Harding, 63), Ben Strevens, Will Evans, Jamie Turley, Lee Cook, Andy Drury, James Constable, Jack Midson (Matty Fanimo, 68), Josh Payne (Ross Lafayette, 81). Subs: (not used) Lewis Noice, Jai Reason.

GATESHEAD: Sam Russell, Matty Pattison (Danny Johnson, 70), Ben Clark, Rob Ramshaw, Gus Mafuta, Jordan Cranston, Ryan Bowman, Adam Wrightson (CJ Hamilton, 58), Patrick McLaughlin, Alex Whitmore, Andre Bennett. Subs (not used) Shaun McDonald, James Curtis, Jon Shaw.

Referee: Mark Pottage.

Attendance: 453